Jamón de cebo ibérico If a pig to be used to make jamón is basically fed with compound feeds, the jamón will be considered cebo ibérico. The fattening process is simpler and cheaper so the resulting jamón will be of very high quality yet sold at a very reasonable price. Iberian pig There is a very special pig race on the Iberian Peninsula, the Iberian pig. It has a number of characteristics that make it different from all other pigs, but there's one essential characteristic: it infiltrates fat into its muscles. That is what creates those white veins in a jamón ibérico which make it a unique product. The purity of the race The degree of purity of a pig's race obviously depends on the purity of its parents. Thus, any pig that exceeds 50% purity can be considered an Iberian pig. The mother must be 100% pure. The iberian pig diet The first one hundred kilos of any Iberian pig are gained in the same way as any other pig. First, it is fed by its mother and later it is fed vitamin-enhanced feed. A proper diet is essential for the animal to become strong and muscular with resistant bones. Origins (Selection) There are four areas in Spain which are well-known for their jamón tradition and quality: Salamanca, Cáceres-Badajoz, Córdoba and Huelva. The origin of this jamón may be any of the four regions indicated. The best pieces received weighing around 7 kilos from each batch are marked as selection.

What is jamón? A jamón is the result of curing a raw pig's hind leg in salt. The number of months curing as well as the flavour substantially vary depending on the type of pig and its diet. You can find different flavours in a single jamón because of the large quantity of meat: the cushion is the softest part, the fore cushion is the most flavourful and you find the most intensity the closer you get to the bone.

How is a jamón made? Once the pig's leg is ready, the first thing they do is prepare it for salting. The chef slices a v into the pig's skin and decides how much external fat to leave. The more fat, the less salt it will absorb and the sweeter it will be. Once that is done, the leg is buried in salt for about two weeks on average. If the chef decides to lengthen this period, the jamón will become more flavourful. After that and depending on the type of jamón to be produced, the characteristics of the leg and the flavour desired, the leg is hung in a drying chamber until ready for consumption.

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